Negation of rights to religious minorities by hegemony and bulldozing by violence prone Kashmiri Sunni majority. Violence in all the 3 regions. Dark Days Started for the Religious Minorities (Hindus/Sikhs/Buddhists/Christians/Shias) in J&K in 1947. Kashmir valley is Smaller than Goa (valley alone without Jammu & Ladakh) Precisely 75 KM in Length and 25 KM in width..YES....a tiny itsy bitsy piece of land...and this tiny 75*25 KM Land...And India is stuck in this blackhole!!!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

III-DISTRICT JAMMU

3.1 The city of Jammu, the headquarter of Jammu District and winter capital of the State, is one of the most picturesque towns of the State situated at the foothill of Himalayas. River Tawi also known as ‘Surya-Putri’ flows through narrow gorge below the old town. Earlier it used to be a small principality surrounded by other similar principalities.

The process of expansion and consolidation of Jammu was undertaken somewhere in early 18th century when the principality of Jammu acquired a stable government, but real unification and consolidation of Jammu as a compact and political unit took place in the regime of Gulab Singh when he was conferred with a title of Raja, for the Jammu area by virtue of a ‘Firman’ issued in the year 1820 by the then ruler of Punjab, Ranjit Singh in lieu of services rendered by Gulab Singh to the Lahore Durbar and in suppressing the rebellion by adjoining principalities.

3.2 Jammu is commonly known as the City of Temples because of existence of a number of famous Temples and Shrines in the city including the Raghunath Temple, Ranbireshwar Temple, Peer Kho etc. There are certain important Muslim Shrines as well, which fall in the category of places of interest in Jammu, important among these are Ziarat of Peer Mitha, Khankah Sherif of Peer Roshan Shah Wali, Mazar of Baba Budhan Shah etc.

Equally important is a Sikh monument of historical importance known as Gurdwara Bibi Chand Kaur situated on the bank of River Tawi. Among the places developed in the post 1947 period in Jammu are Rajinder Park on the bank of Ranbir Canal island between the two distributaries of Ranbir Canal flowing from river Chenab, and Bagh-e-Bahu situated in the foot of the Bahu fort. Jammu city is also the base camp for pilgrims visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine located in the Trikuta Hills.

3.3 Jammu is the largest District of the State in terms of population, with its population as per census of 2001 as 15,88,772, while geographical area of the District is 3097 sq. kms. It comprises five Tehsils namely Jammu, Akhnoor, R.S.Pura, Bishnah and Samba. It was founded by Raja Jamboo Lochan on a spot, atop a hill, where he had once seen a goat and a lion drinking water together from a pond, and made it his capital. It is bounded by District Udhampur in the North and North East, District Kathua in the East and South-East, and the South-Western boundaries run partly along the international border and partly along the line of actual control. In the North-West, it is bounded by District Rajouri.

3.4 While, according sanction to the creation of various new administrative units in the State, vide the Cabinet decision referred to in Chapter I, two new Administrative Units have been sanctioned in Jammu District as follows:-

i. Samba - District

ii. R.S. Pura - Sub-Division

3.5 For the purpose of having insight of the feeling of the public and elected representatives of the affected areas as well as suggestions of senior officers of the District Administration, the Committee visited various places and also held meetings with public, prominent persons and officers of the administration.

3.6 So far, as District Samba is concerned, full details are contained in Chapter VIII. However for the sake of better understanding of certain important issues connected with Jammu District the same are discussed as under:-

i. Some of the areas falling in Patwar Halqa Bain-Bajial presently part of Tehsil Samba are already part of the Jammu Municipal Corporation.

Besides, residents of Patwar Halqas Bain-Bajial and Aithem had to travel a distance of few Kms to reach the town of Jammu, whereas they have to travel a long distance of around fifty kms to reach Samba and that too via Jammu City. Therefore, people residing in these areas have been approaching authorities since long for exclusion of their villages from Tehsil Samba and attaching with Tehsil Jammu.

While having discussion with the District Development Commissioner Jammu, he too favoured the idea of inclusion of thirteen villages forming part of two Patwar Halqas Bain-Bajial and Aithem in Jammu Tehsil. This issue finds mention even in Wazir Commission Report, where-in these villages were proposed to be detached from Tehsil Samba and made part of the then proposed Tehsil Bahu.

Thus, in line with the above, the Committee recommends that thirteen villages namely Bain-Bajial, Dawara, Rangoora, Majeen, Sidhara, Chak Ladgan, Kupad, Malhori Jagir and Pargalta of Patwar Halqa Bain- Bajial and villages Aithem, Sail Jagir, Paidgan and Khanna Chadgal of Patwar Halqa Aithem should be included in Tehsil as well as District Jammu after their exclusion from Tehsil Samba.

ii. During interaction with the District Development Commissioner Jammu, it was also suggested that Patwar Halqa Sagoon and Patwar Halqa Kothar of Tehsil Jammu be attached with Tehsil and new District Samba. At the same time as discussed in detail in Chapter VIII, the Committee has proposed to transfer Patwar Halqa Saruinsar comprising Villages Surinsar and Chilla to Tehsil and new District Samba considering various grounds including coordinated development of the two important tourist spots Mansar and Surinsar, responsibility for developmental activities of which lies with one authority i.e. Mansar-Surinsar Development Authority.

For detailed background for the proposal reference is invited to para 8.7 of Chapter VIII of this report. Therefore, for the sake of public good as well as administrative convenience and as also suggested by District Administration the addition of nine villages namely Kothar of Patwar Halqa Kothar, Sagoon, Kangrial, Pathwar, Badwal, Reengal, Basal, Batlehar and Panjoa of Patwar Halqa Sagoon in Tehsil and new District Samba is proposed.

iii. Another suggestion received from District administration is that thirteen Patwar Halqas comprising sixty four villages forming part of Agrarian Circles 8 and 9 of the Tehsil Bishnah be made part of new District Samba, with a view to make Samba District a viable Administrative Unit. It may be in place to mention here that most of these villages are situated along the periphery of existing Tehsil Samba and there has been a forceful demand for creation of new Tehsil at Ramgarh/Vijaypur, which demand as and when acceded to, the attachment of these villages with Tehsil Samba shall make Ramgarh/Vijaypur a compact viable unit.

Thus in the above background and also with a view to make the new District a viable administrative unit the Committee is inclined to recommend that two Agrarian Niabat Circles 8 & 9 comprising sixty four villages be made part of new District Samba and their deletion from Tehsil Bishnah.

iv. It is also quite relevant to add here that a large number of industrial units exist in Bari-Brahmana industrial complex developed and managed by SIDCO. These unit holders generally have their head offices at Jammu.

For all important issue pertaining to land, power, settlement of taxation related issues and other financial matters the management of these units have to visit Jammu quite frequently. The Industrial complex mainly falls in villages Birpur and Kartholi. In case these villages continue to be a part of Tehsil/New District Samba, the industrial entrepreneurs may have to approach Samba the District Headquarter situated at a distance of around thirty kms instead of much nearer Jammu, where they have their main offices, for settlement of all those matters connected with the industry.

Taking into account these considerations, the Committee is of the view that villages Birpur, Rajpur Koular and Rakh Rajpur of Patwar Halqa Birpur, and village Kartholi of Patwar Halqa Smailpur be attached with Tehsil and District Jammu.

While these four villages shall constitute Patwar Halqa Birpur, part of Tehsil Jammu, the Patwar Halqa Smailpur shall now have three villages instead of four and remain part of Tehsil Samba. As regards rest of the villages of Patwar Halqa Birpur, the Committee after thoughtful consideration proposes that two villages namely Palli and Bassi Khurd which are situated across the national highway 1-A (towards Bishnah side) and are at a distance of only few Kms from Bishnah town be attached with adjoining Patwar Halqas of Tehsil Bishnah which may require minor re-organization of few Patwar Halqas to be undertaken later on by the District Administration with the approval of competent authority.

3.7 This way District Jammu may now comprise four Tehsils namely, Jammu having three hundred and sixty one villages (361) (less by eleven villages refer sub para (ii) of para 3.6, added by seventeen villages refer sub para (i) and sub para (iv) of para 3.6 with total increase of six villages), Tehsil Akhnoor having two hundred and twenty seven (227) villages, Tehsil R.S Pura having one hundred and ninety four (194) villages and Tehsil Bishnah having fifty four (54) villages (less by sixty four villages refer sub para (iii) of para 3.6) added by two villages refer sub para (iv) of para 3.6, totaling eight hundred and thirty six (836) villages. Complete details of the proposed Patwar Halqas and villages forming part of District Jammu as well as Tehsil Jammu are contained in Appendix III-1 and III-2, while the maps indicating boundaries of the reorganized District Jammu and Tehsil Jammu are marked as Appendix III-3 and III-4 respectively.

R.S PURA SUB – DIVISION

3.8 R.S Pura is the border Tehsil of District Jammu which touches Sailkot Tehsil of Pakistan. R.S Pura is also one of the oldest Tehsils of Jammu division and infact prior to 1947 the State was linked with rest of the country through rail via R.S Pura only.

The first Railway Station on this side of the State was at Suchetgarh situated on the extreme border of Tehsil R.S Pura. At Suchetgarh, there used to be an Octroi Post for collection of taxes etc. from the incoming and outgoing goods and passengers, in accordance with the regulations in force in those days. Said building is now under the occupation of Border Security Force deployed for security and vigil on the borders.

3.9 Earlier Bishnah used to be a territorial Niabat of Tehsil R.S Pura which was up-graded and given the status of Tehsil in early eighties. Therefore, Tehsil R.S Pura and Tehsil Bishnah would be natural constituents for the newly created R.S Pura subDivision.

However, it may be in place to mention here that as discussed in detail in chapter VIII as many as sixty four villages of Tehsil Bishnah have been proposed to be made part of new District Samba, in view of close proximity of these villages with Ramgarh and Vijaypur areas of Tehsil Samba as also with a view to give a depth to the newly created District Samba.

With this the number of villages left with Tehsil Bishnah comes to fifty four (54). This way the Tehsil Bishnah becomes a small administrative unit. At the same time R.S Pura is still a big Tehsil with one hundred and ninety four (194) villages. Besides, there are a number of villages which though are situated in close proximity of Tehsil Bishnah but are presently part of Tehsil R.S Pura although these villages are included in C.D Block Bishnah. Further Patwar Halqa Nougran Tehsil Jammu comprising nine villages is situated just at the fringe of Bishnah town and should naturally be included in Tehsil Bishnah for the sake of public/administrative convenience.

Moreover, two villages namely Bassi Khurd and Palli of Patwar Halqa Birpur Tehsil Samba, as discussed in para 3.6 (iv) of this report have been proposed to be added in Tehsil Bishna after their exclusion from Tehsil Samba.

3.10 Taking into view the above considerations, therefore, the Committee feels that there is need for the rationalization/reorganization of two Tehsils namely R.S Pura and Bishnah, of course with the addition of few villages of Tehsil Jammu and Tehsil Samba as discussed in the preceeding para. This exercise is proposed to be undertaken internally later on. For the time being however, the Committee proposes that new Sub-Division R.S. Pura should comprise Tehsil R.S Pura and Tehsil Bishnah (less by sixty four villages proposed to be attached with new District Samba – refer sub para (iii) of para 3.6 of this report added by two villages of Tehsil Samba – refer sub para (iv) of para 3.6).

3.11 Based on the position discussed at para 3.9 and 3.10, details of Patwar Halqas and villages forming part of Sub-Division R.S Pura are contained in Appendix III- 5 and map indicating the boundaries of the Sub-Division is marked as Appendix III-6.

Similarly, details of Patwar Halqas and villages in respect of left over Tehsil Bishnah are available at Appendix III-7.